Monday, May 2, 2022

Northern Savings update on recent phishing incident Prince Rupert based financial institution

 

An advisory for Northern Savings Customers on a recent phishing attack
suffered by the financial institution based in Prince Rupert.
The advisory was included in
 recent Statements of Account for customers
(click to enlarge)

Northern Savings has highlighted some of the dangers from phishing attempts and their work in safeguarding customers data, that after an attack on financial institution's own offices from earlier this year.

In addition to the report for customers, Northern Savings also provides more information on how you can protect yourself from the online practice.

"We identified an email phishing incident on January 6, 2022, that impacted six internal email accounts. Upon discovery, we immediately initiated our standard incident response processes - rapidly shutting down access, introducing strengthened security measures, and bringing on external experts to support an investigation. 

The incident was contained, and email systems are secure, with all operations running smoothly. As a precaution, monitoring continues, and we will provide further updates as necessary. 

 Out of an abundance of caution, we wanted to share that some personal information may have been accessed during the incident. This may include your account information, debit or credit card number, SIN, identification, and other financial information. 

The full report from Northern Savings for its customers We took immediate and comprehensive action, including enabling multi-factor authentication, resetting employees’ passwords, and blocking the malicious sender emails and/or domains identified during the incident. We will continue to take all reasonable steps to minimize any risks to you arising from the incident. 

Further, please be assured that there is no evidence of any public disclosure or misuse of your information due to the incident, at this time. In addition to the above, Northern Savings has reported the incident to law enforcement, appropriate privacy commissioners, and other organizations who can assist with mitigating any risks from the incident. 

Northern Savings has also implemented several additional safeguards to minimize risks to your information going forward"

The full report for customers from Northern Savings as well as some other measure that they have taken can be reviewed here.

Included in their online presentation is a video that explores the topic on phishing further:


 More notes on the Northwest Commercial Sector can be explored here

City of Prince Rupert opens information period for proposed omnibus Zoning Bylaw Amendment

At last Monday's City Council session council members moved forward with a proposed omnibus zoning bylaw amendment, providing the document compiled by the city's planning department with first and second reading.

As we outlined in our notes from last week, the proposed bylaw covers a range of topics that aren't addressed in the other civic bylaws related such things as secondary suites, temporary container use in the city  and other miscellaneous themes on commercial ventures to name a few of the items.

As part of the discussion on the theme, Council was advised of an upcoming public engagement period for the public to explain the purpose of the bylaw prior to a Public Hearing to be scheduled later for the proposed document.

On Friday, the city launched that engagement process through their Rupert Talk's social media portal.

Included in the city's information package is a look at the proposed bylaw items, the city's interim housing strategy, Council endorsed housing actions and a report from BC Housing on accessory dwelling units.

Participants can also leave their comments or ask questions of the proposed bylaw amendments through the online portal, which requires registration for those that have not already signed on to the engagement portal through past initiatives.


The presentation from planning and subsequent discussion from Monday evening on the proposed new bylaw and the city's recently approved Renoviction/Rentals bylaw, provided some views as to how the City councillors and city staff view the ongoing work on the bylaws.

On themes of duplex development, Councillor Wade Niesh offered his thoughts on the need for more development in the community

"I think it's a great plan, I think it's a good way to add housing to our community which as we all know is needed and I propose to make it so that we do not have to apply for a development permit on the duplexes" -- Councillor Wade Niesh

In response, City Manager Rob Buchan clarified some of the elements of the new zoning bylaw proposals as they related to Mr. Niesh's commentary.

"Just for clarification the recommendation in the staff report would be for this to proceed without adding duplexes to the development permit, so those were presented as options in the report. So the recommendation as its currently written would align with your thoughts  -- City Manager Rob Buchan

Councillor Blair Mirau asked for clarification on wording for lock-off suites and secondary suites, also as to what the impact on density would be by adding lock off suites. The Councillor also shared some of the notes he had absorbed from some weekend reading of a BC Housing report.

"But what was super interesting was that Prince Rupert was already, were in the top ten in the entire province for the number of accessory dwelling units with 607. Behind only White Rock, Whistler and then a bunch of communities in the Greater Victoria area ... So what all of those things taken together mean to me is, that this is a tool that works really well in tourism heavy communities and industry based workforce communities who are the ones who are the ones building them and using them most. So you've done a really effective job of articulating the benefits as far as I see then"   -- Councillor Blair Mirau

"The only thing that I've got a concern with is are building permits, are we waving building permits too? -- Councillor Barry Cunningham

The City Manager confirmed that the city would not be waving building permits.

You can review the range of the discussion topics from last Monday evening from the city's YouTube archive page starting at the one hour  fourteen minute mark.




More notes on last Monday's City Council Session can be explored from our Council Timeline Feature.

More notes on Housing in the city is available from our archive page.

Previous Council discussion themes can be reviewed from our Council Discussion archive page.

Real Estate Tracker: Week ending May 1, 2022

The Prince Rupert real estate market has provided for no change in physical addresses for the week, just a shift in pricing for one property of the ten on our list of top end property listings for review.

Two of the high end properties are found in the Edwards Avenue area, the other the traditional boulevard of Prince Rupert's million dollar chalets on Graham Avenue.

The distribution of our list of ten has six homes for sale on the West side, and four on the East side.

The real estate review below is purely for information purposes, for further background on the properties recorded, see our links pages for access to the individual real estate listings.

The Archive for our weekly review can be found here.  

Our list of the top ten priced homes for the week ending May 1, 2022 can be explored below:


Real Estate Listings for the West Side of Prince Rupert
for the week ending May 1

Real Estate Listings for the East Side of Prince Rupert
for the week ending May 1

The lowest mark for the review of the week is at 775,000  while our top end is marked  at the price point of   $1,550,000 

Total value of the listings for our ten increased this week noted at $9,393,600

Below find our findings as of the Week ending May 1, 2021


2130 Graham Avenue                    $1,550,000 --   Remax
1042 Edward Avenue                    $1,150,000 --   Realty Executives
975 Edward Avenue                       $995.000 --     Realty Executives 
219 4th Avenue West                     $849,000 --      Remax
121 McCaffrey Place                     $849,000 --      Remax 
112 Collart Place                            $849,000 --     Remax
197 Vanarsdol Street                      $810,000 --     Remax 
673 4th Avenue East                      $789,500 --      Realty Executives
1845 Atlin Avenue                         $777,000 --      Remax 
190 Alpine Drive                           $775,000 --      Realty Executives


For more items related to Real Estate see our archive page here

For background on Housing issues in the Prince Rupert area see our past items here
























Rubble all that remains of Belmont Hotel following Sunday night fire



Another of Prince Rupert's significant fires has claimed much of the Belmont Hotel, with just rubble remaining from what was once one of Prince Rupert's popular night time social destinations and downtown location of note for many in the community.

As we recounted last night, fire crews were called to the Third Avenue structure just before 9PM with a full response tackling the fire, an account of the work of the PRFD along with some additional photos was provided through their Social media page earlier this morning.



At the moment a lone PRFD fire apparatus vehicle is on the scene continuing to douse the structure with water seeking out any remaining  hot spots. 

The only section of the building that remains standing is that of the Belmont Beer and Liquor store, though it's not known how much damage is suffered as a result of the Sunday fire. 

An excavator was stationed in the alley between the Friendship House and the fire site to be called on for any additional work if required as fire fighters continue their work to look for the hot spots.



In addition to the Belmont Hotel, also destroyed from the Sunday evening fire was  Rose's Oriental Foods and Gifts which was at the west side of the hotel. Neither of those businesses had been in operation at the time of the fire.

The City of Prince Rupert reminded residents that Roads in the vicinity of the fire scene will remain closed to traffic, with no access to Third Avenue West from 5th to 8th Streets.



The PRFD is now conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire.

More notes on the work of Emergency Responders in the Northwest can be explored here.

Sunday, May 1, 2022

Prince Rupert Fire Rescue respond to Belmont Hotel fire Sunday evening


See update from PRFD at bottom of this article

************************** Original story ******************************

It has been a full response this Sunday evening in the Prince Rupert  downtown core with multiple units of the Prince Rupert Fire/Rescue Department on the scene of a large fire at the iconic Belmont Hotel which also housed Rose's Oriental Foods and Gifts.

The call for service came in during the early evening hours, with RCMP members and BC Ambulance personnel also on hand, there to provide assistance to the fire crews who were attacking the fire from a number of directions.

BC Hydro and Pacific Northern Gas officials were also on hand as part of the response to the scene.

The fire was at its most fierce and brightest prior to the 9PM hour as the crews set up hoses and gained some elevation on the blaze through the use of their aerial assets.




The city's RCMP members quickly set up a perimeter along the 600 to 800 blocks of Third Avenue West and surrounding streets to keep the growing number of onlookers at a distance.

The volume of those arriving in the downtown area to view the fire had both cars and pedestrians trying to navigate side streets that were being used to connect fire hoses to those fighting the fire, with many of the side streets in the immediate area closed to traffic


Fire Fighters were still working at 11PM to douse the flames that occasionally would shoot through the roof of the structure and the job ahead would appear to be one that will require further time to fully knock down.

The downtown hotel has been a fixture in the community for decades, changing its appearance, service options and clientele frequently through the years. 

Most recently it has only been in service as a private Beer and Liquor outlet.

Social media both through Facebook and Twitter quickly filled with numerous accounts and visuals of the fire from a number of directions and a large volume of contributors.

We will update any further details on the situation should they be made available by PRFD.

Update: Early Monday morning, the PRFD provided some notes  and photos on the Sunday evening fire to their Facebook page, noting of the shift from an offensive to defensive fire fighting strategy, with the fire extinguished by 2AM. Heavy equipment was brought in, so as to create a fire break at the structure.


Fire crews remain on scene to monitor for hot spots, An investigation is now underway into the incident.


For more notes on the work of Emergency Responders in the Northwest see our archive page here.

 

Emergency Services Files: May 2022











Our Archive of items for the month of  May from the files of law enforcement and other emergency responders in Northwestern British Columbia.





From the North Coast Review


Port Edward Volunteer Firefighters take on range of scenarios in May training program
Lax Kw'alaams to offer First Responder training for interested residents 
Opportunity for those in Prince Rupert to learn more a about careers in policing with Coffee with a Cop in June
Prince Rupert Fire/Rescue celebrates Excellence for 2021
Prince Rupert RCMP introduce new Detachment Commander
Prince Rupert RCMP shares another profile of Detachment member as part of National Police Week
A local spotlight in Prince Rupert as Part of of the observation of National Police week across Canada
Mayor awaits final report on issue, but promises a 'lengthy response' to commercial marijuana issue in the city
Prince Rupert Fire/Rescue on the search for recruits
Welcomes and Photos make for return of Cruise Ships to Prince Rupert  
Belmont Fire file handed over to RCMP for further investigation 
Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach weighs in on Prince Rupert's Grow Op concerns 
District of Port Edward reminds residents to report any wolf encounters/sightings with Conservation Service of BC
Arrests made in home invasion of downtown residence from last week
Prince Rupert RCMP seek assistance in Missing Persons File
Fires, Grow Ops loom as potential Council discussion topic for tonight  
Prince Rupert Aboriginal Community Services seeking to add Indigenous Justice Worker to Staff
Procurement delays for Search and Rescue Aircraft make for RCAF shuffle to serve British Columbia
Emergency Preparation Alert System put to the test across British Columbia on Wednesday afternoon 
First of the Golf Season events for 2022 arrives this Saturday with Prince Rupert Firefighters Local 559 Charity Scramble
Rubble all that remains of Belmont Hotel following Sunday night fire 
Prince Rupert Fire Rescue respond to Belmont Hotel Fire Sunday evening 







May 24 -- Sergeant Walker Arrives (video)
May 19 -- Belmont Hotel fire update (video)
May 19 -- Watch Commander, Sparks Leader and Mom (RCMP statement)
May 18 -- Police Officer, Hockey Player and More (RCMP statement)
May 12 -- Grey Whale investigation (video)
May 2 -- Belmont Hotel Fire (video)

Terrace/Kitimat

Terrace RCMP Detachment website

Kitimat RCMP Detachment website

Terrace RCMP Twitter feed

Conservation Officer Service Facebook page

May 31 -- Terrace activates Emergency Operations Centre due to flood risk
May 30 -- Gearing up for the Bike Rodeo (RCMP statement)
May 27 -- Kitimat Detachment Service Report (May 20-26)
May 24 -- Terrace RCMP Long Weekend (video)
May 24 -- Man Stabbed Multiple times (RCMP statement)
May 24 -- Home Invasion with weapons  (RCMP statement)
May 20 -- Terrace Detachment Service Report (May 14-20)
May 18 -- Kitimat Detachment Service Report  (May 13-18)
May 11 -- Terrace downtown crime (video)
May 10 -- Kitimat Detachment Service Report (April 29-May 5)
May 4 -- Kitimat Detachment Service Report (April 22-28)




May 28 -- We need your help to find Madison Scott (RCMP Statement)
May 27 -- Wanted man possibly in New Hazelton area (RCMP Statement)
May 20 -- Missing woman Located    (RCMP Statement Smithers)
May 20 -- Help us Find Cherola! (RCMP Statement Smithers)
May 18 -- Smithers wildfire preparation (video)

Ketchikan and Southeast Alaska






Archive of month to month review for 2022







To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.





Blog Watching: Week ending May 1, 2022

As it was a City Council meeting week, Council themes dominated much of the most read items for the last seven days. 

With the members of City council approving a civic budget and financial plan, a contract award for a new airport ferry dock, along with a bylaw to address renovations and rental housing.

As well, the city launched a call for bids to seek out a plan to develop parks and recreation items in future years.

The only non Council story to crack the five most read items was the suspension of BC Ferry service in and out of Prince Rupert and the volume of comments that had brought to the office of North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice.

When it came to the top item of the week however, the City's early planning for park and recreation development became the most read article up for review.

City of Prince Rupert seeks Bids for Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Plan  -- The latest call for Bids from the City is to create a master plan ahead towards development of new parks and green spaces in the community.   (posted  April  25, 2022)

That article was followed by: 
 
Waterfront Project Update to come with Contract Award recommendation for council tonight   --  The City's Operations director provided a short overview of the plans towards the new Airport Ferry Dock. Following his report, Council then voted to award the contract for construction to CT Northern Contractors Alliance.  (posted  April 25, 2022)
 
With one dissenting vote, Prince Rupert Council passes Budget motion, moving forward with 3.62 percent  tax increase for 2022  --  After one month of consultation and preparation, City Council discussed the recommendations from the City's CFO Corinne Bomben. As part of their review, much of the discussion was focused on the impact of Legacy Fund, as well as some of the ongoing development of Watson Island.    (posted April  28, 2022)  .  

MLA Jennifer Rice's office feels the ahead over week long Ferry cancellation  --  The week long suspension of ferry service in and out Prince Rupert left a number of passengers to share their concerns with the North Coast MLA.   posted April 27 2022)
  
Renoviction/Rental Bylaw gains fourth and final reading from Prince Rupert council   --  A process that began in September 2021 finally delivered a Bylaw towards Rental housing, but not without one more extensive discussion period was held on the topic.   (posted April  29, 2022)

You can find our weekly Blog watching feature posted every Sunday morning by 9AM, making for a handy way to catch up to the week that was, at a leisurely weekend pace.

You can also review the full listings of the week just past, from our Blog Archive index page found on the right hand side of the page.

A note for those that previously used our email alert delivery option, Blogger has discontinued that feature, so we direct you to our CharlesMHays Twitter feed, where we post updates to the blog as we post them.

Our archive of weekly Blog Watching can be found here.    

To view the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.